Meta acquires AI startup Manus for $2 billion in one of the largest AI deals ever, gaining technology that creates autonomous agents capable of coding and complex tasks as the tech giant pivots from chatbots to compete with Google and OpenAI in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence race.
SoftBank completes its massive $40 billion investment in OpenAI, securing an 11% stake in the AI powerhouse now valued at $260 billion, after selling its entire Nvidia position and acquiring data center company DigitalBridge to fuel its artificial intelligence infrastructure ambitions.
Venture capitalists predict enterprises will dramatically increase AI spending in 2026 while consolidating around fewer proven vendors, ending the current experimentation phase and threatening startups with easily replicated products as companies prioritize measurable results and safety oversight systems.
Nvidia secures a massive $20 billion licensing deal with AI chipmaker Groq in an unusual structure that sees 90% of Groq's workforce joining the tech giant while shareholders receive substantial payouts, cleverly sidestepping antitrust concerns through the non-exclusive arrangement.
Nvidia licenses Groq's AI inference technology in major partnership deal, with Groq founder Jonathan Ross and key team members joining Nvidia to scale the technology globally while Groq continues independent operations under new CEO Simon Edwards.
ServiceNow announces massive $7.75 billion acquisition of cybersecurity startup Armis, more than tripling its security market opportunity as companies ramp up spending to defend against AI-era cyber threats.
GitLab's former CEO Sid Sijbrandij launches Kilo Code's App Builder, a revolutionary tool that generates functional apps in minutes with usage-based pricing, challenging heavily-funded competitors like Lovable despite having only $8 million in seed funding versus their $500+ million war chest.
Uber and Lyft partner with Chinese tech giant Baidu to test autonomous robotaxis in London starting 2026, with Lyft planning to deploy hundreds of electric RT6 SUVs pending regulatory approval, joining Waymo and Wayve in the city's growing autonomous vehicle landscape.
Alphabet acquires Intersect for $4.75 billion in cash plus debt to accelerate U.S. energy innovation and expand data center capacity, with the deal including multiple gigawatts of projects in development and expected closure in first half of 2026.
OpenAI pursues a massive $100 billion funding round that would value the AI giant at $830 billion by early 2025, as the company faces trillion-dollar spending commitments and fierce competition from Google and Anthropic while generating $20 billion in annual revenue.